Breivik's 1,500-Page Manifesto, Published Before Friday's Attacks, Rails Against Multiculturalism and Islam

OSLO—The confessed gunman in the Norway massacre spent years meticulously planning an attack as part of a call to arms against the rise of multiculturalism and Islam in Europe, according to a 1,500-page manifesto he published shortly before the twin attacks.

Anders Behring Breivik, a 32-year-old ethnic Norwegian whom police have arrested and say confessed to the attack, appears to have published the manifesto online Friday shortly before setting off on the Oslo car bombing and a shooting spree on a nearby island that killed at least 93 people, mostly teens and young adults.

The document, which was published under the English pseudonym Andrew Berwick, adds to an evolving portrait of a gun enthusiast who harbored nationalist, anti-immigration views and obsessed about a "cultural Marxist" political climate in Europe that enabled the threat of Muslim domination.

Mr. Breivik's own description of himself as a loner "proud of his Viking heritage" stands in stark contrast to the Islamic extremist groups that many here initially speculated might have been behind the twin attacks in the chaotic hours after they first occurred.

Far from being sympathetic to Islamic extremism, the fair and light blue-eyed Mr. Breivik—who until recently lived with his mother in an affluent western Oslo neighborhood—frequently agitated online against European policies too accommodating of multiculturalism and the "Islamic colonization" of Europe.

The suspect's identification with the far right is almost certain to ignite a debate across the region about whether the immigrant-baiting populism espoused by extremist parties in many Scandinavian countries is fomenting a violent undercurrent.

The manifesto, which Mr. Breivik appears to have spent years writing and titled "2083—A European Declaration of Independence," borrowed substantial parts from the writings of the "Unabomber," Ted Kaczynski. In it, the 32-year-old meticulously documented his preparations, including purchases of chemicals and experimenting with explosives, and speculated about the high-profile attention an attack might bring.

Elsewhere, Mr. Breivik wrote: "Once you decide to strike, it is better to kill too many than not enough, or you risk reducing the desired ideological impact of the strike," he wrote.

The document—along with anonline video also posted shortly before the attack with the image of Mr. Breivik posing in a wet suit and an automatic weapon—also goes to great lengths to carefully craft an image of a philosopher-warrior with no choice but to embark on a Christian crusade that could kill multitudes of people.

In a lengthy simulation of an interview with himself, the author described himself as an average Norwegian who grew up in a middle-class "secular, liberal" family whose conservative beliefs hardened during his teen years, while he was a member of the youth movement of Norway's right-wing populist Progress Party.

Oslo's deputy chief of police, Sveinung Sponheim, noted that Mr. Breivik made no move to attempt suicide or resist arrest and calmly laid down his weapons and surrendered to the police task force. He added that the suspect has been calm since his arrest and "eager to explain himself" and the motives behind the attack.

Mr. Breivik's lawyer added on Sunday that his client, who has been charged in the terror attacks, had asked for a Monday court hearing to be public. Police said that decision hadn't yet been made and lay with the court.

While Oslo police have provided few details about Mr. Breivik's possible motives and background,Mr. Breivik described himself on a now-shut Facebook page as a Christian conservative with hobbies in hunting and free masonry. According to government records, he had licenses for two guns. They also show that he had registered two years ago as the owner of a one-man farming business, called Breivik Geofarm, to grow vegetables and fruit.

Local Norwegian media have speculated that the business might have allowed him to amass large quantities of fertilizer, a potential bomb-making ingredient. Police, though, haven't disclosed details on the contents of the bomb that exploded in Oslo's center.

Neighbors of Mr. Breivik in western Oslo described him as an unassuming man who seemed close to his mother, though few had much direct contact with him. "He was an ordinary guy who looked like anyone else," said Caroline Slayttli, a 22-year-old neighbor at the western Oslo apartment complex where he lived until recently.

Ms. Slayttli and other neighbors described Mr. Breivik's mother, Wenche Behring, as a sociable and chatty older woman who frequently praised and doted on her son.

"I think they were really close," she said.

Stèphane Imbernon, a French-born manager at a nearby café that Ms. Behring frequented on a daily basis—including Friday just before the bomb blast—said she was fond of speaking of different cultures and countries and often helped him practice his Norwegian.

"It was quite a surprise when I heard about her son because she's nothing like that," said Mr. Imbernon, 34.

"People around here are sad for this woman because, believe me, she's very friendly," he added.

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